The docks at Newport Harbor’s Lido Marina Village each year are transformed into one of the largest boat shows on the West Coast. This year more than 200 vessels are expected for the Lido Boat Show.

The show, now in its 35th year, is geared toward big boats, featuring only watercraft 26 feet and larger including motoryachts, sailboats, sportfishers, long-range trawlers and more.

Boat show producer Duncan McIntosh said keeping the show, which through Sunday, focused on big boats helps the event stand out.

“There are countless boat shows every month at the indoor convention centers and halls, and they are all pretty much the same; same kind of stuff, same brands, same sizes that are pretty much limited by the halls and the highways they must travel on to reach those facilities,” McIntosh said. “There really are only a handful of shows for bigger vessels; these shows draw a much different clientele.”

Highlights at this year’s show include a 119-foot Westport motoryacht named Isabelle, the 2014 Mikelson 57-foot sportfisher and the Maine-inspired Back Cove Downeast 37, complete with a 12-foot by 12-foot cockpit and SureShade cockpit cover.

In addition, this year’s show includes a celebrity – the 70-foot motoryacht Savoy once owned by Jackie Gleason. The 1970 Chris Craft recently underwent a complete rebuild and refurbish, along with new interior and exterior furnishings, a new flybridge and audio and video systems. While nearly $1.5 million went into the rebuild, Savoy is for sale at $795,000.

To make room for all of visiting boats, McIntosh and his team bring in hundreds of dock floats, each 15 to 20 feet long, that extend out in the harbor from the Lido Marina Village docks. Over the course of a week, the 400,000-square-foot makeshift marina is put in place, giving the more than 200 vessels a place to tie up and boat show goers walking paths to view the yachts.

Along with the large boats, the show features a range of shoreside vendors showcasing the latest marine accessories, boating gear, electronics, engines, generators and yacht services including marine financing and insurance.

What:

35th annual Lido Boat Show

When:

Sept. 26-29

* Thursday; Noon-7 p.m.

* Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

* Saturday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

* Sunday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where:

Lido Marina Village at Via Lido and Newport Boulevard in Newport Beach

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